


A Ghost that Walks

by LobaMPD



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: AU, Akira is very frustrated, Alternate Universe, BAMF!Kaga, Gen, Hikaru can see dead people, Humor, Mystery, Sai leaves behind him a string of poor amnesiac people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-01
Updated: 2013-03-07
Packaged: 2017-11-02 21:06:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/373348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LobaMPD/pseuds/LobaMPD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He always introduces himself as Fujiwara no Sai. There two common elements in every single of his sightings. One: He's an unbelievably strong player and, two: He never appears with the same face twice. Cue Akira's frustration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fujiwara no Sai: Delinquent

Akira feels bored. That isn't a feeling he can be accused of indulging in too often, but right now he's very languid, almost uncharacteristically so. He's at the family go-salon, replaying a game he played with his father last week, one that has already been discussed. He is secretly very proud he's able to do this, to remember it hand for hand, because he wasn't able to do it just a few months ago. 

He places the stones on the goban, one after the other, and thinks distractedly that the new teacher at school is really cool about homework, enabling him to have more free time. Free time to do whatever he wants: what that is he's not so sure. He's a busy, responsible sort of person so he's always doing something specific. Left to his own devices Akira doesn't quite know what to do with himself.

“Ah! Young master, hello.” Muragawa-san calls as he enters the salon and after greeting Ichikawa-san. 

“Maybe you could play a little shidougo with me later, if you're not busy?”

Akira smiles and agrees to play the man at a later date. He likes to think of catering to the customers as good practice for when he becomes a go-pro. Which he is certain he'll have no problem becoming.

Just as the words leave his mouth another man enters the salon. He's young, mean-faced, ridiculously tall, with drab brown hair and what Akira's classmates call a “hip style”. He looks a bit lost as if he entered the salon by mistake. But when Ichikawa-san volunteers to help him, he turns around suddenly and focuses really intently on her, a comically desperate expression on his face.

“Please! Could you perhaps - please! Allow me to play with the strongest player in the house, if it's not too much trouble!” his tone wavers between desperate and shyly humble and his voice come out stilted, a bizarre combination that makes him seem disturbed. 

“Er...” though Ichikawa-san looks like she's about to throw him out on creepiness-principles alone, her eyes turn to Akira automatically when the tall man says 'strongest player'. He turns to Akira so swiftly that the younger boy takes a step back. But it's not only that. The man's brown eyes are impossibly intense, shooting Akira like laser-beams. Akira gulps uneasily, but something in him that he generally spends great effort to squash recognizes the challenge and urges him to accept it. 

He offers to play him, then suggests they go to the back where it's more quiet. 

“I am grateful.” the man says looking out of place with stilted sounding manners and mugger clothes in a well-lit, up-class Go salon. It is mind-boggling. He fidgets a bit as if he seriously can't wait.

Akira asks mostly out of habit if the man would like to have a handicap. 

“That would be unnecessary.” the man says. “My name is Fujiwara no Sai.” 

Akira introduces himself as well, bows, then takes one of the goke.

“Please to meet you too!” the man named Fujiwara exclaims, his voice still awkward, though expressive enough to make Akira curious of this man's enthusiasm. 

They nigiri. Akira takes white.

About an hour later Akira is trying to figure out what in the name of all that is holy just happened. The game didn't turn out how Akira expected it -for one thing he lost and everything-, though he didn't really have any concrete expectations. For a few moments he just stares at it. 

It's shidougo. Someone other than his father played shidougo with him and he hardly even noticed. He raises his eyes to Fujiwara. After witnessing the man's play, he looks, if possible, even weirder than before. The gentle Mona Lissa smile, glinting eyes and unbelievable skill are far too alien on such a mean looking face, obviously taught in the ways of scowling.

“You are strong Akira-kun.” The voice in less stilted that before, but now Akira has more urgent concerns.

Akira asks tentatively if Fujiwara-san would perhaps like to play another game because he's too polite to resort to begging a complete stranger who could, despite apparently being a very strong Go player, still be a pedophile. 

“It would be a pleas-.” Fujiwara-san smiles wider, which looks painful, when suddenly a loud bang interrupts him. 

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” 

What looks like an elementary school student runs straight at them and violently pushes Fujiwara out his seat. The man crushes on the floor sideways with a surprised groan. Akira has been reduced to gaping.

“Come back here! Oh my god, I'm so sorry, he just dashed, _god_ , right in front of me and didn't stop when I called him! Boy, that's the rudest thing I've ever _seen_! You should apologize immediately!” Ichikawa-san barely stops to take a breath to start chastising the small boy. He is probably about Akira's age and he is gasping for breath. He is facing the woman but he is still scowling at air near the goban. Akira notices that half his hair is dyed an outrageous blond color. 

“What' just happened?” Fujiwara asks, rubbing his head a scowl (that looks surprisingly natural compared to his previous expressions) set on his face. 

“I'm very sorry, as I said, I couldn't stop him, that is -boy! Apologize!”

The boy scowls a bit more then turns to Fujiwara and bows stiffly. “I'm sorry for pushing you mister.”

“Oh, you'll be sorry! You're lucky you're a kid. Otherwise, I'd beat the snot out of you!” Fujiwara, in a way that would suit him if he hadn't spent the afternoon with Akira being achingly polite, growls and waves his fist menacingly at the boy. The boy shrinks for a moment, flails his arms in the air silently and runs away. It all happens so fast, Akira doesn't have time to process it at all.

“What a brat!” Fujiwara sneers. He scowls around and seems a bit surprised by the location. “What the hell am I doing here? What is this place?”

Akira is once again left staring. He says in a confused tone that this is a go-salon. It sounds like a question. The man _has_ just finished beating him in the game Akira has been playing since he was five years old. 

“A what? Anyway, I'm leaving.” Fujiwara says and hastily proceeds to the exit.

“Wait! Didn't you say you'd like to play again?” Akira yells after him.

“The hell? I said no such thing!” the man grunts without turning.

“Would you like to though?” this time Akira's a bit desperate. 

“Get real, I don't even know how to play this weird-ass shit of a game!”

As the man leaved the salon and the customers grumble loudly insulted, Akira stands bewildered and unblinking.

_ Huh? _

 

~

 

“ _You know you're a total jerk, right?”_

“ _I still can't believe it! You can see me?!”_

“ _Yes, yes, but like I said, you can't just go around possessing people like that!” the boy shouts at the ghost._

“ _How can you see me? This has never happened to me before! I'm so excited!” the ghost ignores him and exclaims jumping in place, then runs to catch up. The boy walks fast._

“ _Yeah, I can see that.” the boy remarks sarcastically. “I can see ghosts generally. There's nothing special about you.” he adds snidely._

“ _Wow! What is your name? I am Fujiwara no Sai!”_

“ _Shindou Hikaru.” the boy grumbles._


	2. Fujiwara no Sai: Goody-two-shoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaga observes. Akira is confused.

Shindou Hikaru is a nice kid. He likes saying jokes and relaying funny stories though he can't really contain his chortles which tend to spoil the punchline. He eats with his mouth open, but he closes it if you whup him on the head once. He's never mean or cruel on purpose (except if he thinks it's deserved) and when he realizes he might be, he immediately regrets it. He never assumes things based on appearances something that surprises Kaga who's used to people being scared of the tiniest movement of his eyebrow.  
Shindou Hikaru's also a bit weird. He regularly fails math and science tests but excels on social studies and literature and he was in the soccer team in elementary school. He is popular among his classmates but he doesn't seem to have any close friends except for that little brunette that follows him around. He is very smart at some things, like memory games or shogi, but he's unbelievably dense at other things. And though he likes to pretend that he isn't adventurous or mischievous or strange, Kaga has caught him more than once in weird places he wasn't suppose to be or talking to himself.  
Shindou Hikaru is a total brat. He has the trying-to-be-blank-but-failing eyes of someone who's keeping a secret. You can tell when he's lying because he refuses to look at you when he talks either by lowering the head, tilting it to the side and gazing sideways, or just turning his back at you. When Kaga tries to delve deeper, Shindou is brat-ish enough to shout something incomprehensible and leave with no explanations. He has no manners and he definitely doesn't think before he talks. He's brash and loud and Kaga has to restrain himself from killing him on several occasions.  
But otherwise Kaga just loves the kid.  
The first time he sees him it's at the Haze school festival. Shindou is still a sixth-grader and he's standing by Tsutsui's go-booth looking vaguely interested in the proceedings with his hands in his pockets. Kaga comes by just as he hears Shindou (though he doesn't know -or care about- his name at the time) comment on go in general being deceptively simple. Kaga jumps in the opportunity to be an ass and shoves his cigarette on the board saying some smart-assery about shogi. Tsutsui squeaks indignantly and Shindou yells in surprise. In less time than you'd expect for chaos to ensue, it all boils down to this: Shindou claiming he has a friend who can totally beat Honinbo Shusaku, Kaga making a bet with him, and the Haze Go-club participating in the national go-tournament. Apparently.

~  
When Kaga arrives at the random, snobby, high-class school that the tournament takes place in Tsutsui and the squirt are already there. The squirt has brought along a Haze male student that could have been Tsutsui's more unfashionable twin: he has black hair jelled in the most tasteless way possible, big, thick glasses and a shamelessly excited expression plastered on his face.  
“So... this is the guy that can beat Honinbo Shousaku....” Kaga drawls, declaring with every bit of his body language what complete bullshit he thinks the idea is.  
“Yes! I, Fujiwara no Sai, attest to that” the boy exclaims not seeming to notice the distinct irony in Kaga's tone which surprises him. He has expected that Shindou had been bragging and that the poor go-player he brought along would be mediocre at most. Not that the excitable boy changes his opinion, mind you. He's just bemused that he's clueless enough to agree with Shindou.  
Shindou watches the proceedings with interest, hands in pockets and seems to avoid looking at his alleged friend, who despite any notions Kaga has about him, is very confident and wins his first game. Even though he's first chair (that being the agreement of the bet) the win is against some unknown school whose go-club members thought that being smart-ass would elevate their game. So it's hardly a win at all. Kaga is positive Tsutsui could have beaten their first-chair.  
That doesn't discourage Fujiwarano though. He gushes endlessly about the game, is moved to tears by the sight of 'so many young minds playing the esteemed ancient game of Go'(his words, not Kaga's), and tries, with minimum success, to get Shindou hooked with Go.  
Kaga watches all these between their first and second game with bemused interest and piqued curiosity. Fujiwarano has something extremely awkward about him. From the way he clumsily makes noise with his every movement to how he talks; Long inexplicable pauses, stutters every now and then (especially when excited), wrong use of slang and jerky upward movements near the chin as if a fly is bothering him and he means to capture it. In a few words; weird.  
But more interesting than that, Kaga finds the younger sixth grader. Shindou has something magnetic about him. His smile is wide and honest and his responses funny (though the joke is usually on him). When Fujiwarano explains Go to him he raises his eyebrows and nods. When he forms some beginner tsumego for Shindou to solve, Shindou's eyebrows furrow in concentration. He finds the answers rather easily for a person who has just heard the rules for the first time. Kaga's manipulative senses are tingling.  
Now, you must not get him wrong. People think that Kaga is a bully because he does whatever he wants. And he is a bully to some extent. He has no compunctions over using other people's weaknesses and good manners to achieve his goal. And he has many goals, but one goal above all else.  
The difference is, he knows how to bide his time. Kaga is a master strategist in all the ways that matter; both the board and life are his for the taking.  
They win their second match as well and this time Kaga finishes first and has time to check out if Fujiwarano is the real deal. After a brief once-over of the board Kaga looks away a bit flustered. He is no fool and begins to prepare himself mentally for the pool diving. A man must have pride but he must also have honor, he preps himself up. At least Tsutsui will be happy, he thinks but slyly looks at Shindou next to him also looking at Fujiwarano's game. Shindou has a concentrated look on his face, his eyes move around the board erratically not following the hands. Kaga grins. His is going to win one way or another.  
Haze ends up winning the tournament. Tsutsui is ecstatic and glowing. Fujiwarano is cheerfully pointing out his opponents mistakes and offers suggestions while they look ready to cry. Shindou smiles gleefully at Kaga mimicking a person diving, then suffering from something that looks like severe electrocution caused by embarrassment. The kid is hilarious. In a really annoying way.  
But even as Kaga tricks his way out of the bet by making another bet (this time, a full-proof one) he is making plans. Plans of the King of Shogi variety.

~  
There is one thing Akira is more obsessed with than Go (and recently, Fujiwara no Sai who isn't in any of the phone books Akira has managed to procure); Perfection in his obligations and responsibilities.  
One could say that Go is part of that. As the spawn of the most successful and talented professional go-player in all of Japan, Akira has a responsibility to his father, the Go community and his gene pool to play and be perfect at Go. Until very recently if Akira was to be perfectly honest as well as drunk and depressed he would agree that, though he loved Go, his love had been nurtured, it didn't come unbidden. But now Akira can be as honest and as drunk and depressed as he wants. Go has surpassed love in his mind. It has become pure, unadulterated obsession. And it all starts with the blasted guy who had the gal to enter his shop, play with him the most beautiful game Akira has the capacity to play and then disappear. Just. Like. That.  
But of course Akira is responsible so despite his sudden wish to do nothing but study Go and search through phone books(Fujiwara must be somewhere!) he visits Kaio Middle School.  
The building is large and imposing, a bit too posh and modern for Akira's outdated sensitivities. The Headmaster doesn't seem to pick up on Akira's disinterest and instead is intent on making the school sound even grander than it is. Akira tries as politely as he possibly can to decline the man's enthusiastic suggestions for him to visit (and become member of) the Kaio's “honorable, undefeated” Go Club.  
He fails of course, which makes him wonder why subtlety isn't appreciated, or in fact respected anywhere in this country anymore. He glances around the room trying to look interested. The Go Club appears to be in the middle of some sort of end-of-tournament ceremony with an other school, if the different uniforms are anything to go by.  
“I can't believe we lost!” Akira overhears a Kaio student mumble to the one standing next to him.  
“And to some newcomers as well! How shameful!” the other student agrees grimacing.  
Akira raises his eyebrows. He might not be interested in middle-school Go tournaments but even he knows that the Headmaster isn't bragging (too much) when he describes his school's Go-Club's prowess. Some random club beating them is surprising.  
Hope does indeed spring eternal, because instead of simply dismissing the issue or being glad that the world of Go isn't as stale to the young generation as previously feared, Akira raises to the tips of his shoes to see the winners. Shocking happiness fills him. Fujiwara no Sai, the blackboard says, first chair of Haze Middle School. Akira has to shove a bunch of people he doesn't know before he is able to reach the front of the room where the winners are subjected to a long winded speech of some severe looking official. But though Akira looks wide-eyed at the Haze Go Club members he doesn't see him. Instead...  
What!?  
The grade-schooler from before is sitting with the club members. His hair is still dyed in that outrageous color, though he isn't scowling like the last time Akira's saw him. Instead he is talking quickly and discreetly to the first chair, who is not Fujiwara no Sai. It's a scrawny, nerdy looking boy with sleeked-back black hair and large framed glasses.  
As the speech of the official ends with grouching, sporadic clapping, Akira steps forward to the fake Fujiwara and shakes him.  
His tone is rather desperate, though he's too intent to notice, as he asks him who he is.  
“Oh! Akira-kun, what a pleasure!” the nerdy boy says stuttering slightly. Then, before Akira's shocked eyes, he squeaks and tries to clap his mouth with his had, missing and instead hitting his nose. “I mean, I'm such a fan of your honorable father, finally I meet you!” he says nervously, too quickly, rubbing his nose.  
Akira is gaping. He can't move, he simply stares as the boy when suddenly the grade-schooler explodes into action. He grabs the nerdy boy's - Fujiwarano's other arm and practically tows him to the exit shouting all the way that they have to be somewhere else, really sorry, maybe next time!  
Akira stays silent and unmoving for exactly 7 seconds. Then he yells at the them (though he can't see them anymore through the crowd) a weak and confused 'hey...'. Then he scratches his head. Then he rubs his eyes with one hand, sighing.  
What just happened? He asks himself praying for some sort of explanation that makes sense.  
~

_“Why do you keep doing that?” the boy asks._   
_“Doing what?” whines the ghost._   
_“Getting me in trouble! How stupid can you be?! Talking to that girly-guy like you've met him! What part of low-profile do you not get?” the boy shrieks indignantly._   
_“I said I'm sorry! I usually don't have to worry about things like that!”_   
_“Ts, you're the most troublesome ghost I've ever met.”_   
_“Hikaruuuu~~~!!!”_

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Fujiwara no Sai: Random Bimbo


	3. Fujiwara no Sai: Random Bimbo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira, amateur stalker.

Fujiwara no Sai has seen many things, as is natural for someone with his unusual life-span. He has lived (in a manner of speaking) for nearly a millennium, and through sheer determination and tenacity, has played with the top players of Go history, has seen them grow from young amateurs to full blown geniuses. And Sai isn't ungrateful to whatever gods have granted him this amazing opportunity. In fact for the first centuries he was quite enthusiastic to be in such a position. Able to follow the path that will lead to the Hand of God, and then, maybe if he is worthy, be the one to play it perhaps. But now, as weird metallic statues that people live in rise up to meet the sky and other metallic carriages that people travel in run by(and occasionally through him) he feels that maybe he's slightly out of place.

Plus, it's a very lonely existence. Sai often speaks with other ghosts, such as himself, but the conversations don't seem to really go anywhere. 

“That's 'cause you're too obsessive. Ghosts don't listen to what they're being told unless it concerns the thing they're obsessed about. Which is really annoying by the way.”

“Yes, indeed. I can see what you mean. Like this excellent young lady I met the other day-couldn't stop talking about food and how she- I AM NOT OBSESSED! How can you say such a thing?!”

The young boy rolls his eyes as he takes a sip of his soda, but he keeps walking, leaving Sai behind. This happens very often and it never stops annoying the ghost, who hurries after him. 

“What would you call it, Long-Hair?”

“It's... Uh- actually, er... It's love.” Sai says. He can see that Hikaru isn't impressed. Which frustrates him.

“Love.” Hikaru says in a flat tone.

“Yes. It's like, I can't think of anything more worthwhile to do than play Go for the rest of my existence.”

Hikaru looks at him from the corner of his eye. “Sound like obsession to me.”

“Well,” Sai starts feeling increasingly annoyed. “It can’t be, I was like this even before I died.”

“Which might be why you became a ghost in the first place, right?”

“I always thought that it was because I had been disgraced before I died... accused of cheating! If that could ever be possible.” Sai fans himself a little and tries to forget that day. Hikaru makes a vague noise. Sai tries to see if it's interest, but it's difficult to say. One thing he's notices about this bizarre child is that whenever he talks to him in public he's always resolutely expressionless, a distinct difference compared to his exaggerated tirade when Sai came by his house. He decides that it doesn't really matter. 

“You see, I was one of the two go-teachers of the emperor. I was very happy there, able to play all day... But I was too good, and the other go-teacher started to resent that.” Sai takes an unnecessary breath. “He told the emperor that the court didn't need two teachers and that one of us should leave. He said it should be decided in a game. I was confident in my ability, I had beaten the other teacher and I had a good grasp on his playing methods, so I agreed. But while we were well in the middle of the game, I noticed that he had one of my stones in his goke. That's rare, but not unusual. He would just pass over the stone to me and we'd continue the game. But then, just as I was about to tell him, he took that very stone and put in his captured ones!” Sai pauses breathless for a moment. Even centuries after the fact the incident still upsets him. Hikaru is now staring though, his face intrigued. 

“And then?” he asks quietly behind the soda can.

“I, uh, as I was about to shout that he cheated, he rose first and pointed at me to accuse _me_ of cheating. I was flabbergasted at the suggestion but everyone was furious at _me_! The emperor said that he did not believe that any of his go-teachers could be anything less that honorable and ordered us to continue the game. But it was in vain for I was too distracted now. I lost horribly. Not to mention branded a cheater and exiled from the palace. I couldn't live with what had happened anymore. I drowned myself in the river.”

For a while Sai stays still with his eyes closed, pained. He hates this memory the most. Then he feels someone patting him on the arm. He opens his eyes and sees Hikaru looking at him awkwardly sympathetic. Sai sniffs. They stay like that for a bit. People look at Hikaru weirdly as they pass by. 

Then Hikaru shakes Sai a little and points with nod across the street. “Well, what do you know Long-Hair. That one's perfect.”

“Which one?” Sai asks feeling disoriented. 

“The blonde one.”

“She... She's a girl.”

“I know. She's perfect for you.”

Sai looks at the girl with the casual boldness of someone who's been invisible for centuries. She's blonde, her skin has an inexplicably orange tone and she's showing an awful lot of skin. Sai knows from experience that is a bad combination with the early spring weather. Too humid.

But Hikaru's right, she _does_ feel very comfortable even from across the street. 

“Are you sure you're okay with this, Hikaru?” Sai knows that the boy finds it very disgusting.

“Hey, it was our deal wasn't it? You help me with the bet and I help you with the possessing.”

Sai and Hikaru both hide their smirks. Sai feels very bad pretending he's not utterly grateful to be have been able to play his favorite game with youngsters but in the end it became a mutually beneficial agreement. Sai played to his hearts content, then got Hikaru to find him the best host and take to a go-salon where he would not be detected but would be able to play at a high level. Hikaru on the other hand got to embarrass a senpai and then get Sai to find an appropriate person to possess instead of someone utterly obvious. 

“So, see, she's waiting to get picked up, dressed up like that. She's been waiting for a while-”

“How can you tell?” Sai asks curious. 

“She's sitting. Usually when girls are waiting for someone to pick them up, they are too nervous to sit, or too confident to think that they'll have to. But she's sitting. And she looks bored.”

“Really?” Sai can't really distinguish expression through all the layers of paint. 

“Yeah! Now go do your thing!

0000

 

Akira spends a month trying to convince himself it's a coincidence.

When that fails (he's read way to many mystery novels) he tries to convince himself that he's not a stalker, so he has no right looking for Fujiwara no Sai in the Haze School on-line archives. A week afterward it turns out that he needn't worry, there is no one named as such in Haze. 

Which isn't exactly good news. Akira decides that he's already a stalker anyway and forges on. There is a Fujiwara no Sai registered for the Tournament, but it's like he sprung out of thin air. No school records or other sort of mentions. Only a dozen of “Did you mean...” notices about some highly esteemed family in the Heian period on Google. 

There are two explanations. Either Fujiwara no Sai isn't a Haze student and decided to help the Haze go Club, or he entered with a fake name. Akira thinks it's probably the former, mostly because he can't fathom why someone would enter with a fake name, unless they were a criminal of some sort (and no sane criminal would risk that to enter some tournament, Akira theorizes, feeling very smart.), and because he's unwilling to believe someone just _happened_ to come up with the same name. They just might be related. (And then there is that niggling thought in the back of his head: _“He recognized me...”)_

The only thing left to do is the head-on approach. 

Akira arrives at Haze Middle School via his self-proclaimed number-one-fan, Ichikawa-san's car. It's a mediocre school compared to Kaio, but it looks friendlier. Of course that's hardly an accomplishment considering that in Kaio two thirds of the population's chins have never touched their necks. 

Akira decides that the best strategy is to search for the go club. Unfortunately he quickly discovers that it is mightily optimistic of him to think the search for the elusive Fujiwara no Sai would be so straight forward. Because it turns out the school has no go club at all. 

“Go club you said?” a boy's voice asks from behind him. Akira who had been in the process of asking for the nth time about anyone in this school playing go, turns around immediately. 

“Yes, do you know of it?” Akira says eagerly. The boy is older than Akira, but seems non-threatening. He wears large glasses and looks very kind.

“Well, yes and no. I am the sole member of it, so it's not much of a club.” the boy sighs defeated.

“What?!” this Akira didn't expect. Actually he didn't expect any of this. It is really starting to frustrate him. “But you won in the Middle-School Go Tournament, did you not?” 

“Yes, we did, didn't we? And I played third chair for the club of which I am the sole member.” The boy smiles wistfully at Akira. “How can I help you?”

Akira looks at him wide eyed. He has to go back in track though, there is a very serious reason he's here: Obsession! 

“Uh, your first chair, Fujiwarano- I mean Fujiwara Sai. Could you perhaps tell me where he is?” Akira asks, not entirely able to hide his anticipation. 

The boy suddenly claps his hands. “I remember you! From Kaio, you were the boy that knew Tachibana-senpai!” 

“Tachibana-senpai?” Akira asks thoroughly confused.

“Yes. That's who you mean, right? He used a different name in the tournament because he didn't want his parents to know he played go or something.”

Akira pauses because this is exactly what he had ruled out. Someone coming up with the name. A bizarre coincidence. Akira frowns. He doesn't want to believe it. Maybe this Tachibana person know Fujiwara and wants to emulate him in a weird stalkery fashion. 

“Why wouldn't he want his parents to know he plays go?” Akira asks.

“I don't really know. Before the tournament I only knew Tachibana-senpai because he had the highest score of all students in the school. An overachiever. I hadn't even seen his face.” the boy laughs a bit awkwardly. “You probably should speak with Shindou-kun though. He's the one that knows him.”

“Couldn't I speak to him in person?” Akira asks confused. 

“Eh, he graduated this year. I don't know which High-School he goes to. So I can't really help you.” the boy looks contrite. 

This is a possibility that hadn't occurred to him at all. He had looked so scrawny. “Do you think this... Shindou-san will know?” Akira asks, ever hopeful. 

“Why wouldn't he? They are friends from what I gathered.” 

“Do you know where I could find him?” 

The boy frowns for the first time. “Yes. He's at the shogi clubroom.”

Akira frowns as well. Apparently this Shindou fellow isn't a go enthusiast. 

0000

 

The shogi club room is depressingly full of lively students compared to the one-man go club. The boy, whose name is Tsutsui Kimihiro, has come along, claiming that Akira needs the support he can offer. Seeing all these crazy people shouting and being way too loud - _how do they concentrate?-_ Akira is glad for the company.

“Hm, where is he? Oh, I see him! Come on.” Tsutsui-san exclaims going ahead to a row of desks facing the windows. A boy is sitting there reading with a constipated look on his face. His fringe is dyed a ridiculous shade of...hey.

Akira suddenly remembers this person. The annoying school-grader that shoved Fujiwara when Akira first played him. The same one that had been in the tournament as well, taking the second Fujiwara away when Akira tried to interrogate him. He is the only connection other than a name between the two sightings. 

“Good afternoon, Shindou-kun. Is that the book I gave you? Does Kaga know?” Tsutsui-san asks oblivious to Akira's revelation. 

“No, he doesn't, so keep it down, will you?” the boy grumbles as he turns. Then he notices Akira and his eyes momentarily widen comically in muted horror.

“Oh, this is Toya Akira. He's been looking for Tachibana-senpai and I thought that you'd be able to help.” Tsutsui-san says. Shindou turns his bewildered stare to Tsutsui. 

“Tachibana-senpai...?” Shindou says and gulps.

“What going on here?” a voice booms next to Akira's ear making him jump. An older boy with extremely messy hair is looking at him with contempt. He raises his hand and points at him. “You're Toya Akira!” he says a touch angrily though it's mostly surprise. “What are you doing in my club?” 

Akira tries to pinpoint if he's met this person before or if he's just someone who's read about him at Weekly Go when Tsutsui-san rises to his defence. 

“Kaga, can't you at least try to be polite!? Just ignore him Toya-san, he has this weird possessiveness about everything in this club.” Tsutsui-san grumbles the last part. “Toya-san just wanted to ask about Tachibana-senpai.”

“Yeah? What about him?” the Kaga-person sneers at Akira. 

“I was wondering if I could meet him, that's all.” Akira says looking straight at Shindou. Shindou to his credit, doesn't try to look away. He just narrows his eyes. 

“Tachibana, has moved to Sapporo.” Kaga says surprising Akira. “He passed the entrance exam for Hokkaido International.” 

“The Hokkaido International, whoa, he must be really smart!” Tsutsui-san exclaims. “No wonder he is so good at go.”

Akira is ready to rise to the defense of dedicated, hard-working go players everywhere when Kaga interjects. 

“So, no. You can't talk to him, Toya Akira. Something else you'd like to bother us with?” the tall boy grumbles his arms crossed. 

Akira braces himself. This is whole incident has led him to a dead end, but Akira now has another lead. 

So as he apologizes and thanks Tsutsui-san for his help (ignoring in the process a bristling Kaga) Akira looks at Shindou from the corner of his eye.

_I'm going to get you._

0000

 

Ogata Seiji has something that most of his peers and antagonists don't have: youth.

Of course, at thirty-something, he isn't exactly spring chicken, but compared to other nine-dans(say, Kuwabara-sensei who is practically ancient), he is the youngest. 

He is also very embarrassed with his whole generation. Only he and Kurata can even compare to the elites, and Kurata is still an eighth-dan. And it isn't just the professionals either. In go-salons everywhere you can find pensioners, but spotting someone under forty is a rarity. Playing Go in general has some very uncool connotations with the younger crowd, hence the decay of the game in Japan. 

So when Ashiwara – fellow student of the Meijin- calls Seiji in the middle of lunch, screeching about a _ganguro_ of all people beating him in an even game, Seiji is disbelieving. 

Later at the Toya household, while the Meijin is having a meeting with all his students, Ashiwara enters, proudly proclaims himself useless and dramatically reenacts the whole thing. 

“...so she has beaten Fumio-san, right? And I'm like, hey, Fumio-san's tough for an amateur, what's your story. And her friend says, they learned at school and she's like, really enthusiastic. So we play and it's really tight, like really tight. I tried to go easy on her for the first twenty hands and then she got offended or something and she placed here, and I answered here...” Ashiwara places each hand on the board so that everyone can see what he means. “And then she gets really pissed off, which was kind of scary, these Shibuya girls aren't kidding, let me tell you. And then, she did _this_.”

Ashiwara places the stone and the students suddenly make “ _ahh_ ” and “ _ohhh_ ” sounds, embarrassing themselves in Seiji's opinion. But when even Toya Meijin's widen, Seiji cranes his neck a bit to see the hand. He gapes, as discreetly as he can. There are at least five, very obvious good moves the girl could have chosen instead, but this hand is beyond that. It secured the whole corner, and they hadn't even entered middle-game yet. 

Ashiwara completes the game on board, without stopping the ridiculous commentary even once, but Seiji doesn't interrupt him because he is right. This is an amazing game. Ashiwara has been squashed like a bug under the very thin twelve inch heel of a ganguro. 

“Did you catch her name?” Toya Akira, the Meijin's son asks. Seiji turns surprised. He hadn't noticed the young prodigy's arrival.

“Yes, this is very interesting indeed. I would also want to play with this young woman. See the extent of her strength.” Toya Koyo adds in his gravely voice. 

“Um, yeah, her name's Fujiwara Sai.” Ashiwara answers.

“Not Fujiwara _no_ Sai?” Akira asks again. Seiji raises an eyebrow. Did Akira know this person?

“That's the name she left at the reception. Why do you know her?”

“Not very well, no.” Akira says avoiding Ashiwara's acquiring look. “Fujiwara... was she alone?”

“At the salon? No, she had a kid with her. I was under the impression she was trying to teach him how to play.”

“He didn't happen to have bleached blonde hair, did he?” 

“Actually, he did. Not his whole hair though. So you _do_ know her!” Ashiwara exclaims happily. “Do you know if we could meet her?” 

Everyone is looking at Akira now, but he ignores them, instead looking stoically to the side. 

“She's not a very consistent person.” he says frustrated for some reason. Then he turns and leaves in a huff.

Ashiwara turns to Seiji. 

“Was it something I said?”

0000

 

“ _You know who Fujiwara no Sai is.” the girly boy with the weird bowl-cut says._

“ _What if I do?” Hikaru asks sulkily, kicking a few innocent peddles probably imagining it's Sai._

“ _Who is he? What is he?” the boy takes a breath. “How is it that people... assume his name?”_

“ _Why should I tell you? You know nothing!” Hikaru yells, aggravation lacing his every word though he mostly feels scared. He wants to run._

“ _Hikaru, that's not very nice.” the ghost frets worriedly from his side._

“ _You can't keep this to yourself! Don't you understand? Something truly bizarre is going on!” Bowl-cut yells._

_Hikaru sees red. His voice trembles. “Do I understand...?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up: Fujiwara no Sai: Salary Man

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at ff.net


End file.
